There are more of you living with congenital heart disease than ever before.

You, as survivors, need to hear something from the parents of children living with CHD: Thank you.

Thank you for being the lighthouses. Thank you for being the beacons of hope for all of the babies born after you. Thank you for sharing your stories, they stay in our hearts and have inspired us in our own journeys.

Thank you for sharing the dark times, the scary times and the emotional toll living with a chronic illness can take on you. Thank you for sharing how you cope with it all. Thank you for taking care of your emotional health, as well as your physical. Thank you for taking care of yourself.

Thank you for addressing issues in your care that can create positive changes for not only other CHD adults and children, but for CHD providers as well. Thank you for being proactive and vocal about your health.

Thank you for your strength and your compassion. Thank you for your kindness towards others. They may not be going down the exact road that you went, but your understanding and empathy mean the world to us.

Thank you for giving me confidence that when my son enters adulthood, he too will competently take his health into his own hands. Thank you for showing me that he will be OK. Thank you for being exactly who you are. Thank you for being proud of who you are, we are proud of you, too.